Introduction to the Fall Feasts of The Lord

 INTRODUCTION TO THE FALL FEASTS OF THE LORD

Ron Smith

Good News From God Ministries

Now that we have studied the first 4 Feasts of The Lord which are the Spring Feasts, we are moving to the 3 Fall Feasts of The Lord now, and there are some things that have to be pointed out before we get into these Feasts.

Like we mentioned in our last study, The Spring Feasts are about Israel’s past, and The Fall Feasts are about Israel’s future. So as we continue to study these feasts, we are going to be talking about events God’s Word talks about that have not taken place yet, and I know that you will find this interesting!!!

This introduction is important because we need to understand the different views that Christians have about the End Times, and how these views impact the way they interpret how these Feasts will be fulfilled, and how they live their lives.

The 3 Fall Feasts are The Feast of Trumpets, The Feast of Atonement, and The Feast of Tabernacles. Most Christians that are familiar with The Feasts of The Lord agree that the Feast of Atonement will be fulfilled when The Lord returns at the 2nd Coming at the end of the 7 year tribulation, and that the Feast of Tabernacles will be fulfilled when the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ takes place which is called The Millenium.

Where Christians have different opinions on the Feasts of The Lord is how The Feast of Trumpets will be fulfilled. This is a Feast that Christians either associate with the Rapture of The Church or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Earth which are 2 different events. We see a picture of The Rapture in the Old Testament when it talks about Enoch walking with God in Genesis 5:21-24. Here is what it says in the New International Version (NIV)...”21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.” 

The interesting thing about Enoch is that The Flood started the SAME YEAR that his son Methuselah died, and The Lord made sure that Enoch was with Him before this event took place!!! 

The Apostle Paul also describes this event in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NIV) where it says this….”16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.”

It’s important to show that Believers in Jesus Christ as their Savior are taken to be with The Lord in Heaven whether we are still alive or not during this event called The Rapture. This is not something “NEW” in God’s Word. The difference between what happened to Enoch and what will happen to The Church before the 7 year tribulation begins is that The Church didn’t exist yet. But The Lord wanted to show us that this is not something new.

Some Christians try to say that The Rapture of The Church is an idea people just came up with, and that’s why I wanted to share Scripture from the Old and New Testament that describe this event so you can see that this isn’t some idea that a person thought was cool and started talking about it. Unfortunately, a LOT of Churches don’t talk about this event and for those of you that aren’t familiar with this event…you will benefit a lot from this study!!!

There are 3 main views that Christians have about The Rapture of The Church that we will briefly go over. 

The First View is called the Pre-tribulation Rapture. People who believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture believe that this event will happen BEFORE the 7 year tribulation begins. I believe in this view because The Bible supports this view, and it’s consistent with the nature of God. If you look at events where God’s Wrath or Judgment took place, The Lord always made sure that people who Believed in Him were safe and secure.

Some examples of this are when The Lord protected Noah and his family during The Flood like we studied in our 3 part study on The Flood. We also see this when The Lord got Lot’s family out of Sodom and Gomorrah before destroying the city with fire from Heaven. The Lord also makes this promise to you and me that have believed in Jesus Christ as our Savior in Revelation 3:10 (NIV)...”10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth.”

In 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV) this promise is given to us as well…”9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

These are just 2 of the many Bible Verses that I could use to show that a Pre-Tribulation Rapture of The Church is not only Biblical, but it shows the AMAZING LOVE Jesus Christ has for us!!!

Another View is the Post-Tribulation Rapture. Christians who hold this view believe that we will go through the ENTIRE 7 YEAR TRIBULATION. People who believe in this view use these verses to defend this view. In Matthew 24:29-31 (NIV) Jesus Christ says this…”29 Immediately after the distress  (Tribulation) of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’  30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Also Matthew 24:12-13 (NIV) says this…”12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.”

When you look at these 2 passages, it makes it seem like in order to be saved you have to stand firm or endure to the end of The 7 year tribulation to be saved, but that is not what Jesus Christ is talking about here. It’s important to understand that Jesus Christ is talking about events that will take place before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to Earth with us. We also see that there is a great multitude of people from all around the world that believe in Jesus Christ and are saved in Revelation 7 that don’t survive until the Second Coming who appear in heaven as well!!! Here’s the verses.

Revelation 7:9 -10 (NIV) “After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice:”

Revelation 7:13-14 (NIV)...”13 Then one of the elders asked me, “These in white robes—-who are they, and where did they come from?” 14 I answered, “Sir, you know.” And he said, “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.”

Some Christians try to use this Bible verse to say that this is when The Rapture or the catching away of the Church happens, but that’s not the case. If you look at this verse, you see that this great multitude appearing in Heaven was going through the 7 year tribulation. What I find interesting is that the “Mark of The Beast” system hasn’t even started yet. That doesn’t happen until Revelation 13….3 ½ years into the 7 year tribulation. This event with the great multitude in Heaven happens shortly before that begins.

It’s important to remember that we are not saved by enduring, standing firm to the end, or any of our works. In the 7 year tribulation, people will be saved and receive forgiveness of sins and everlasting life by believing that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again from the dead. Once we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are filled with The Holy Spirit which is our guarantee that when The Lord comes back for The Church that we will be with Him!!! 

And the other view I’ll share is the Mid-Tribulation Rapture. Christians who believe in this view see the first 3 ½ years of the 7 year tribulation as a time where God’s Wrath hasn’t been poured out yet so we will go through the first 3 ½ years of The Tribulation. Revelation 6:15-17 (NIV) is right at the halfway point of the 7 year tribulation, and it says this…..”15 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and everyone else, both slave and free, hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can withstand it?”

This is an interesting passage because in verse 17 it says the great day of “Their Wrath” has come. We do see that Jesus Christ “The Lamb” is the one delivering judgement, but I believe that we are also a part of this event in Heaven. That’s why I believe that it says “Their Wrath” in the verse. 

They also use that verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 (NIV) to support this view where it says God has not appointed us to wrath. People who believe in this view also use this passage in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52….”51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.” 

They believe the Last Trumpet that Paul was talking about is The Last Trumpet of Judgment that an angel sounds in the middle of The Tribulation when he said “The Last Trumpet.” 

The problem with this view is that in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 (NIV) it says this…”3 While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.” I see people BEGGING the rocks to fall on them and hide them from The Lord’s Wrath. It doesn’t look like they are saying anything CLOSE to Peace and Safety.

I don’t agree with this view because Jesus Christ promised to Keep us from this time period, and our Salvation is not determined by enduring. Our Salvation is given to us FREELY by Believing that Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again!!!  

The reason that I’m talking about The Rapture of The Church in this introduction to The Fall Feasts is because it’s important to understand the different views that Christians have of The Rapture, and make sure we have the CORRECT VIEW. 

One more thing I’m going to cover in this Introduction is The Purpose of The 7 Year Tribulation. A lot of people have asked me why a God of Love would put the world through a time like this. It’s important to understand that God loves the world, and that is why Jesus Christ died, was buried, and rose again. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ’s finished work on The Cross will not go through this horrible time, but those who REJECT the Free Gift of Salvation that God provided to THE WORLD will have to go through God’s Judgment.

In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 (NIV) the Apostle Paul says this….”9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. 11 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.”

The Apostle Paul also says this in Romans 11:25-27 (NIV)...”25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27 And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

I love this Bible Passage because it reminds us that The Lord has a plan of redemption for Israel that will be performed in the 7 year tribulation. When we return with The Lord at the end of this period we will see all of the Israeli survivors have their sins forgiven!!!  The unfortunate part of this is that only ⅓ of Israel will survive this time period. In Zechariah 13:8-9 (NIV) this is what he prophecies ....”8 In the whole land,” declares the Lord, “two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. 9 This third I will put into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, ‘They are my people,’ and they will say, ‘The Lord is our God.’”

Jesus Christ also made this statement to the leaders of Israel in Matthew 23:39 (NIV)....” 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ “ Israel as a Nation hasn’t believed in Jesus Christ as Their Messiah yet, so this is an amazing event that will take place at the end of the 7 year tribulation!!!

So The 7 year tribulation has two purposes. 

The first purpose is to judge people who rejected The Truth to receive Salvation through Jesus Christ.

The second purpose is for God to turn His attention back to Israel for their Salvation once the Church Age that we are in now is complete.

I hope you enjoyed this study, and next week we will discuss The Feast Of Trumpets!!! I felt that it was important to cover these future events so we can see how these upcoming Appointed Times of The Lord fit into this time period. 

God Bless You All!!!